Electric railway-switch.



HO MODEL.

R. L. BORDER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLIQATION IIIIED OUT. 15. 1903 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PATENTEDMAY 24; 19 4.

R. L. BORDER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

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APPLIOATIONIILED 0013.15, 1903.

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PatentedMay 2Q, 1904.

()FFICE.

RUPERT: L. BORDER, F PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SWITCH.

snEoIFIeA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,846, dated May 24,1904.

' i Application filed (lcto ber 15, 1903. Serial Not 177,172. (Nomodel.) 3

To all whom it mar/yconcern.-

Be it known that I, RUPERT L. BORDER, a citizen of the United'nStates ofAmerica, residing at Pittsburg-,-- in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric Railway-Switches, of which the following is a;

specification. This invention relates to railwayfswitches,

I and particularly to that class designed for use on tramways in whichthe switch-point is automatically thrown by the employment of electriccurrents suitably controlled,

An object of the invention is to provide I5 means under the control ofamotorman or the controlling device of an electrically-operated carwhereby the switch-point may be thrown to open or close a'switc'h or inwhich the mechanism may be held stationary against. 0 movement.

Furthermore, an object of the invention is to provlde novel means forretaining the said switch-point against displacement either in an openor'closed position. 5 Furthermore, an. object of the invention isto-providenovel current-controlling means for establishing and breakinga current through the switch-operatingmagnet and means for returning thecurrent-controlling means to a 3 position to be actuated by a succeedingcurrent.

. Furthermore, an object of the invention is to provide 'a novel contactfor the trolleywheel with means for suspending said contact from thetrolley-wire and inihsulating the contact from the trolley-Wire.

Furthermore, anobject of the invention-is to provide a solenoid-casingin which two electromagnets are inclosed and having a cen- 4 t-ral tubein which a solenoid-core travels.

' Finally, an object of the invention is to produce a switch-controllingmechanism of the character noted comprising comparatively fewinexpensive parts which would prove eflicient and satisfactory in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in View the invention consists in'the details of construction and in the arrangement and com.-

I bination of parts to be hereinafter more fully .5 set forth andclaimed.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to theaccompanying draw? ings,forming part of this specification,where in likecharacters-denote corresponding parts in the severalviews, and in which5 5- Figure 1 is a'view in elevation, showing a fragment of -atrolley-wire, trolley pole and wheel, and the guards suspended from the.v wire,with a diagramm atic view of the circuits and the-switch-controlling mechanism in ele- 0 vation. Fig. 2 is a.top'plan'view of the mechanism shown in Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a yiewinelevation of one end of the controllingmechanism with the conductorsomitted; Fig.

4 is a simple vertical sectional. view of the com troller-withtheconductors omitted. Fig. .5 is a vertical sectional view of the'casingfor thesolenoid. I In the drawings, 1 indicates the trolleywire, fromwhich is suspended in any suitable manner the contact 2, which comprisestwo; L-shaped tracks connected by the hangers-3, which are attached toand insulated from a trolley-wire The two tracks are sufficientlyseparated as to be out of engagement with the trolley wire, but closeenough thereto that the trolley-wheel 4 will engage the said tracks andtravel thereon,as indicated in dotted lines The current-controllingdevice comprises-a "3O commutator 5, a ratchet-wheel 6, arock-arm 'Z, 1

'mutator 5 has insulating-sections 11, and the commutator is connectedelectrically with the trolley-wire by means'pf the conductor 12, whichis wired to the coil of the solenoid 9 and to the frame of thecontrolling device through the boltor shaft 13. a The brushes 13 and 14are secured in suitable brush-holders 15 and 16, respectively, and thesaid brushes are al'ternately in engagementwith the energized andinsulated sections of the commutator con.- duotor 17 leads from thebrush-h 15. to the "coil 18 of thesolenoid and from ere byconductor 19to the contact 2. The ,Jbrus'hholder 16 has a conductor QOlea'dingtothe; {9

coil 21 of the solenoid and from there by means of the conductor 22 tothe contact 2. The coils l8 and 21 form a double solenoid, whichalternately acts upon the solenoid-core 23, according to the action ofthe controlling mechanism. The double solenoid is provided. witha.cylin' drical casing 24, having heads 25 and 2 3,

' threaded thereon, each head having a central aperture and aconnecting-tube 27. Centrally of the cylindrical casing is a partition28, secured by having the cylinder in two sections connected by means ofthe threaded ring 29, the

is threaded in one end (if the casing and isconnectedto thesolenoid-core 23. .A rod is threaded in the opposite end of tlie casingand has its lower end pivoted to the bell-crank lever 36, and the saidbell-crank lever is pivfloted to a connecting-rod'37, and theconnecting-rod in turn is attache'd'to fadepending .member 38 of theswitch-point 39. in order to limit the movement of the rock-arm"? and to'adjustfsam'e in order that the brushes may contact withthe'insnlatedandenergized'por- ,i'11O I1S of the commutator, adjusting-screws a0 arethreaded in the brackets 41, in position to alternately engage the'saidrock-arm. The

commutator and the ratchet-wheel are mount :ed on the hollow shaft 13,and the rock-arm is loosely mounted or pivotedthereon, The dog 8 beingpivoted to the inner surface of the rock-arm is in position toeng'agethe teeth of the ratchet-Wheel, sothat motion of the rockarm iscommunicated to the said vwheel and through it to the commutat r.'

' The operation of the dev ce is as'follows:

switch-point being in the full-line position shown in Fig. 1 audit beingnecessary in order to establish a current through the contraile d re-1e,do solenoid, a a @m'rnt be established throughlthe r' track theinotorma'n by opening the circuit through the car may permit the car todrift while the trolley-wheel is passing over the-"con tact 2, in whichevent, no current beingestablished throughthle-controller and doublesolenoid, the switchp'oint will remain in the full line position and beheld against displacement through the medium of the arms 30. If themotorman desires to shift his, car to another track, he

ftor. mounted I and mechanically controlled means for moving wouldestablish a circuit through thecar and the current would energize -thecommutator the medium of the solenoid-core 9. and con-1 against theaction of the springlO. This movemeht' would carry the dog 8 a distanceof one tooth on the ratchet-wheel 6 and-cause I it to engage a tooth inadvanceof the one it engages, as shown in Fig. 1. The parts are held inthis position, and at the same time the coil18 is energized and thesolenoid-core 23 is attracted, resulting in the operation of thebell-crank lever 36 and the movement of the switch-point 89. When thetrolley-wheel has passed-beyond the contact 2, the coils 9 and 18 aredemagnetized. The solenoid-core 23 would be held in its elevatedposition by the springsBO, and the solenoid-core 9 would be elevated byreason of the aetionof the spring 10, which would serve to pull therock-arm 7 to the position shown in full lines, Fig. 1, thereby rotatingthe ratchet-wheel 6 the dista nce of one tooth, as will be understood,and

carrying the'insulated segment of the commutater into engagement'withthe brush 13 and allowing the brush M to contact with the commutatorbetween the insulating-segments in order that a current mi ghtbeestablished through the conductor 20 and through the coil 21 when thetrolley-wheel again engages the contact 2' and it is necessary to throwthe switchp n a Bythe construction shownthe coils 18 and 21 may bealternately energized, or, if desired, the trolley-wheel may bepermitted to pass over thecontact 2 without changing the position of thecontrolling mechanism or the ener'gizat'ion of the c'oils18 and 21.

The construction, operation, and advantages will, it is thought, beunderstood from, the

foregoing description, it being noted that va- 'rious changesma beresorted to in the pro- I portions and details of construction forsuccessfully carrying the invention into practice without departing fromthe scope.

Having fully described the invention, what Ifclaim as new, and

Patent, v y 1. An, electrically-operated switch; a contact suspendedfrom the trolley-wire, a commutaon a suitableshaft, electrically desireto secure by Letters a solenoid-core positively operated in eachdirection by the coils, suitable connections whereby the movement of thecore is com municated to the SWliiCll P'Oll'lb, and means for 1retaining the switch-point in its adjusted po- 1 sition. through, theconductor 12, which conductors would also energize the coil 9 and?through suspendedfrom the trolley-wire, a 'cbmmut'a- 2 Anelectrically-operated switch, a contact tor mounted on a suitable shaft,electrically -6'5 nection 9" draw the rock-arm 7 downwardiandmechanicallycontrolled meansfor moving the commutator, brushes setto alternately engage the insulated and contactsurfaces of thecommutator, a conductor for simultaneously" energizing the commutatorand the means for electrically operating the commutator, a doublesolenoid electrically connected to the brushes and to the contact of thetrolley-wire, a solenoid-core positively operated in each direction bythe coils, suitable" connections whereby the movement of the core iscommunicated tothe switch-point, arms depending from thehdoublesolenoid, and engaging a connectionbetween the solenoid-core and theswitch-point, whereby the parts are me chanically held againstdisplacement.

3. An electrically-operated switch, a contact I suspended from thetrolley-wire, a commutator mounted on a suitable shaft, electrically andmechanically controlled means for moving the commutator, brushes set toalternately en--- gage-the insulated and contact surfaces of thecommutator,a conductor for simultaneously' energizing the commutator andthe means for electrically operating the commutator, .a double s lenoidelectrically connected to, the brushes and to the contact of thetrolley-wire,

i a solenoid-core positivelyoperated in each direction-by the coils, arod depending from the core, a casing to which the rod is adjustablyconnected, arms depending from the solenoid engaging the casing andholding it in its adjusted position and suitable rods andlesubstantially as described.

vers connecting the casing to the switch-point 4. Anelectrically-operated switch, a contact suspended from the trolley-wire,a commutator mounted on a suitable shaft,'electrically and mechanicallycontrolled means for moving the commutator, brushes set toalternatelyengage the insulated and contact surfaces of the commutator, a conductorfor simultaneously energizing the commutator and the' means forelectrically operating the commu-' tator, a double solenoid electricallyconnected to thebrushes and to the contact of the trolley-wire, asolenoid-core positively operated,

in each direction by the coils, a rod connected 'to the solenoid-core, acasing comprising an enlarged central portion and reduced ends withconcaved side surfaces, arms depending from-the solenoid and havingtheir ends embracing the casing, the said casing being slidablelongitudinally between the arms, and suitpomt.

5. An electrically controlled switch, the combination with a conductor,a contact supported by and insulated from said conductor, a commutatorand a ratchet-wheel on a common shaft, a rock-arm mounted on the shaft,means carried by the rock arm for engaging and parable connections fromthe casing tothe switchtially rotating the ratchet-wheel, electrical andJ mechanical means for rocking the arm, adjusting-screws for limitingthe movement of the arm, a conductor for energizing the commutator andthe electrical means for rocking the arm, brushes alternatelyengagingthe insulated and contacting surfaces of the commutator in its rotation,a double solenoid, con ductors from the double solenoid to the contactand suitable connections from the double solenoid to the switch-pointsubstantially as described. v

6. An electrically controlled switch, the combination with a conductor,a contact su-pported by and insulated from said conductor, a

central partition, heads for the casing, a solenoidcore operating in thetube, the coil of said solenoid being woun'd around the tube and lyingin the casing on each sideof the central partition, conductors from thebrushes to the double solenoid, conductors from the solenoid tothe'contact and suitable connectio ns to the switch-pointsubstantially'as, de-

scribed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses, this 1st day of October, 1903. v

RUPERT L. BORDER Witnesses:

- JOHN NOLAND,

J. P. APPLEMAN.

